Antibacterial synergy of Tritirachium oryzae-produced silver nanoparticles with different antibiotics and essential oils derived from Cupressus sempervirens and Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk)

Purpose: To carry out eco-friendly biosynthesis of fungi-derived silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and investigate their antibacterial synergies with essential oils (EOs) of Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less. and Cupressus sempervirens. Methods: Biosynthesis of AgNPs was carried out using a cell-free filtrate of Tritirachium oryzae. The biosynthesized AgNPs characteristics were assessed using different methods, including ultravioletvisible spectrophotometry (UV), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Obvious synergistic effects were observed between AgNPs and chloramphenicol, vancomycin, nitrofurantoin or tetracycline with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, through increases in fold area of inhibition (IFAs) within the range of 2.4 to 9.0. Synergistic interactions were also seen between AgNPs and the antibiotics used, depending on the strain. Increase in IFA ranged from 1- to 3-fold for S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Similarly, combinations of AgNPs, EO of A. graveolens and cefotaxime, nitrofurantoin or amoxicillin against P. aeruginosa led to 10-, 3- and 10-fold synergy, respectively. In contrast, the use of AgNPs and trimethoprim, tetracycline or amoxicillin against E. coli led to 1 to 6-fold synergy. The best synergistic capacity resulted from AgNPs and the EO of C. sempervirens and trimethoprim against S. epidermidis, which yielded 29-fold increase in IFA. The use of combination of AgNPs and vancomycin against P. aeruginosa led to 16.4-fold enhancement of IFA. Conclusion: The findings can potentially lead to the development of a new perception of antibacterial agents (innovative medications) involving the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) or new materials that potentially synergize with antibiotics, NPs and the EOs of different plants

Assessment of exogenous application of plant growth regulators on Cress seed germination and ?-Galactosidase activity

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) were involved in several types of abiotic stress responses by means of improving seed germination and modifying the growth and development of medicinally important Lepidium sativum via alleviating the negative effects of abiotic stresses. Therefore, the present research was carried out to investigate the effects of exogenous application of PGRson seed germination, protein content and ?-galactosidase activity of L. sativum. Germination of L. sativum seeds was monitored for a short interval after the start of incubation until growth became 100%. While cytokinin treatment showed a positive effect on seed germination more than Gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic acid (SA) produced a higher negative effect than auxins. Quantifying changes in total protein content during seed germination as influenced by PGRs revealed that all PGRs have to exert a positive effect arranged in the following order: SA ? auxin ? cytokinin ? GA. Parallel to changes in germination percentage and total protein content of seed, a negative effect was attainedon ?-galactosidase specific activity in response to PGRs with the following arrangement: SA ? auxin ? cytokinin ? GA.In conclusion, the present study proposed the potential importance of the type and magnitude of exogenously applied PGRs during the germination of easily or even more difficult-to-germinate seeds

Protective role of Punica granatum L. peel extract against oxidative damage in experimental diabetic rats

Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae) peels extract had the highest free radical scavenging capacity among the tested medicinal plants which are being used traditionally for treatment of diabetes in Jordan. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant effect of P. granatum peel methanolic extract against oxidative damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The antioxidant activity of P. granatum peel extract was investigated by examining the level of antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR), the serum total antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in the tissues of treated diabetic rates comparing with normal and untreated diabetic ones. The results revealed that intraperitoneal administration of 10 and 20 mg kg−1 (body weight) of P. granatum peel extract for 4 weeks significantly enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes in liver, kidney and RBC of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The extract also caused a significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxide's marker, in diabetic rat tissues and elevated the total serum antioxidant capacity in dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, this study clearly showed that P. granatum peel extract has protective role against the oxidative damage in STZ-induced diabetic rats

Antifungal and antibacterial activities of four Malaysian sponge species (petrosiidae)

Aqueous and organic extracts from four marine sponges collected from the coastline of Malaysia were screened against six microorganisms, including the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Bacillus cereus ATCC11778, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Escherichia coli ATCC35218, the yeasts Candida albicans ATCC10231 and Cryptococcus neoformans ATCC90112. All the sponge species in this study showed antibacterial activity against at least one bacterial strain and only one sponge species was significantly active against C. albicans. P. aeruginosa was considered resistant to all tested samples, since no inhibition zone was observed while the Gram-positive B. cereus was shown to be the most sensitive microorganism followed by C. albicans and S. aureus. The highest activity was obtained for the aqueous extract of Neopetrosia exigua against the Gram-positive bacteria B. cereus (inhibition zone 25 mm and MIC 0.07 mg/mL) and S. aureus (17.5 mm and 0.12 mg/mL) and against C. albicans (21 mm and 0.32 mg/mL). This extract is currently undergoing further analysis to identify the active compounds

Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of essential oil of Thymus capitatus from Jordan

The essential oils from the dried leaves of Thymus capitatus was isolated by steam distillation. The collected oil were analyzed by GC-MS and also evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity. Twenty-two compounds, constituting about 95.4% of the total oil, were identified. The main constituents were thymol (39.2%), p-cymene (19.4%), carvacrol (11.8%) and g-terpinene (7.4%). The antibacterial activity of the oil was estimated using agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods against four bacteria. The essential oils wer found to show a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against all the tested bacteria strains. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most sensitive bacteria. The essential oil were equally active against Gram-negative and ram-positive bacteri

Growth Kinetics and Toxicity of Pseudomonas fredriksbergsis Grown on Phenol as Sole Carbon Source

Phenol is one of the main pollutants that have a serious impact on the environment and can even be very critical to human health. The biodegradation of phenol can be considered an increasingly important pollution control process. In this study, the degradation of phenol by Pseudomonas fredriksbergsis was investigated for the first time under different growth conditions. Six different initial concentrations of phenol were used as the primary substrate. Culture conditions had an important effect on these cells' ability to biodegrade phenol. The best growth of this organism and its highest biodegradation level of phenol were noticed at pH 7, temperature 28 °C, and periods of 36 and 96 h, respectively. The highest biodegradation rate was perceived at 700 mg/L initial phenol concentration. Approximately 90% of the phenol (700 mg/L) was removed in less than 96 hours of incubation time. It was found that the Haldane model best fitted the relationship between the specific growth rate and the initial phenol concentration, whereas the phenol biodegradation profiles time could be adequately described by the modified Gompertz model. The parameters of the Haldane equation are: $0.062 h^{−1}$, 11 ppm, and 121 ppm for Haldane’s maximum specific growth rate, the half-saturation coefficient, and the Haldane’s growth kinetics inhibition coefficient, respectively. The Haldane equation fitted the experimental data by minimizing the sum of squared error (SSR) to $1.36×10^{-3}$

Antioxidant and Antihyperglycemic Effects of <i>Ephedra foeminea</i> Aqueous Extract in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background: Ephedra foeminea is known in Jordan as Alanda and traditionally. It is used to treat respiratory symptoms such as asthma and skin rashes as an infusion in boiling water. The purpose of this study was to determine the antidiabetic property of Ephedra foeminea aqueous extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: The aqueous extract of Ephedra foeminea plant was used to determine the potential of its efficacy in the treatment of diabetes, and this extract was tested on diabetic rats as a model. The chemical composition of Ephedra foeminea aqueous extract was determined using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Antioxidant activity was assessed using two classical assays (ABTS and DPPH). Results: The most abundant compounds in the Ephedra foeminea extract were limonene (6.3%), kaempferol (6.2%), stearic acid (5.9%), β-sitosterol (5.5%), thiamine (4.1%), riboflavin (3.1%), naringenin (2.8%), kaempferol-3-rhamnoside (2.3%), quercetin (2.2%), and ferulic acid (2.0%). The antioxidant activity of Ephedra foeminea aqueous extract was remarkable, as evidenced by radical scavenging capacities of 12.28 mg Trolox/g in ABTS and 72.8 mg GAE/g in DPPH. In comparison to control, induced diabetic rats treated with Ephedra foeminea extract showed significant improvement in blood glucose levels, lipid profile, liver, and kidney functions. Interleukin 1 and glutathione peroxidase levels in the spleen, pancreas, kidney, and liver of induced diabetic rats treated with Ephedra foeminea extract were significantly lower than in untreated diabetic rats. Conclusions: Ephedra foeminea aqueous extract appears to protect diabetic rats against oxidative stress and improve blood parameters. In addition, it has antioxidant properties that might be very beneficial medicinally

Effectiveness of Anodal otDCS Following with Anodal tDCS Rather than tDCS Alone for Increasing of Relative Power of Intrinsic Matched EEG Bands in Rat Brains

Background: This study sought to determine whether (1) evidence is available of interactions between anodal tDCS and oscillated tDCS stimulation patterns to increase the power of endogenous brain oscillations and (2) the frequency matching the applied anodal otDCS’s frequency and the brain’s dominant intrinsic frequency influence power shifting during stimulation pattern sessions by both anodal DCS and anodal oscillated DCS. Method: Rats received different anodal tDCS and otDCS stimulation patterns using 8.5 Hz and 13 Hz state-related dominant intrinsic frequencies of anodal otDCS. The rats were divided into groups with specific stimulation patterns: group A: tDCS–otDCS (8.5 Hz)–otDCS (13 Hz); group B: otDCS (8.5 Hz)–tDCS–otDCS (13 Hz); group C: otDCS (13 Hz)–tDCS–otDCS (8.5 Hz). Acute relative power changes (i.e., following 10 min stimulation sessions) in six frequency bands—delta (1.5–4 Hz), theta (4–7 Hz), alpha-1 (7–10 Hz), alpha-2 (10–12 Hz), beta-1 (12–15 Hz) and beta-2 (15–20 Hz)—were compared using three factors and repeated ANOVA measurement. Results: For each stimulation, tDCS increased theta power band and, above bands alpha and beta, a drop in delta power was observed. Anodal otDCS had a mild increasing power effect in both matched intrinsic and delta bands. In group pattern stimulations, increased power of endogenous frequencies matched exogenous otDCS frequencies—8.5 Hz or 13 Hz—with more potent effects in upper bands. The power was markedly more potent with the otDCS–tDCS stimulation pattern than the tDCS–otDCS pattern. Significance: The findings suggest that the otDCS–tDCS pattern stimulation increased the power in matched intrinsic oscillations and, significantly, in the above bands in an ascending order. We provide evidence for the successful corporation between otDCS (as frequency-matched guidance) and tDCS (as a power generator) rather than tDCS alone when stimulating a desired brain intrinsic band (herein, tES specificity)